US20160108945A1

US20160108945A1 - Simple engaging device

Info

Publication number: US20160108945A1
Application number: US14/982,670
Authority: US
Inventors: Ya Yun Yang
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2013-03-06
Filing date: 2015-12-29
Publication date: 2016-04-21
Also published as: US10100862B2

Abstract

A simple engaging device comprises a locating base with at least a longitudinal hole, and at least a locating stem corresponding to the locating base with an engaging head and a joining part. Two flat locating parts are oppositely disposed at two long sides of the longitudinal hole; each flat locating part has a slant plane, a first slender retaining projection, a step, and a second slender retaining projection; the slant plane makes the engaging head and the joining part easy to be assembled and is capable of tightly guiding the joining part to reach the first thin retaining projection at which the engaging head and the joining part can be retained firmly without loosening, and the step and the second thin retaining projection are capable of engaging the engaging head and the joining part to the locating parts in case of the engaging head and the joining part being worn out.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application is a continuation-in-part application of application Ser. No. 13/786,797 filed on Mar. 6, 2013 by YA YUN YANG.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a simple engaging device, and more particularly to an engaging device capable of joining two flat pieces of furniture perpendicularly.
2. Description of Related Art
Currently, the engaging device for furniture available on the market is usually made of metal, plastics, or wood; the engaging device is attached to the flat pieces in advance with hand tools such as screw driver, pliers, and hammers before the flat pieces of the furniture are assembled. However, the user always meets following problems during setting up the modular furniture:
1. It needs much time to realize and classify the engaging device in order to avoid assembling mistakes to the flat pieces.
2. The engaging device is made of plastics, wood, or metal, and it is needed to use the hand tools not only to fix the engaging device to the flat pieces but also to assemble the flat pieces; the assembling job for the furniture becomes hard or impossible to be done without the hand tools.
3. Mostly, the engaging device is designed to be incapable of disengaging from the plates after assembling; incorrect assembly may result in the furniture is unable to be set up completely.
4. If the user is not good at engineering drawings, identifying the various parts of the modular furniture with the parts drawings often perplex the user.
U.S. Pat. No. 8,641,315 B2, which discloses a furniture connecting piece, and U.S. Pat. No.8,104,989 B2, which discloses a retaining structure, and U.S. Patent Publication No. 2011/0260592 A1, which discloses a combination cabinet, do not provide improvements to solve the preceding problems.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In order to improve the preceding deficiencies of the prior art, a simple engaging device according to the present invention comprises a locating base with at least a longitudinal hole and at least a locating stem with an engaging head and a locating part; the locating base has a facial base section and a rear base section integrated as a single piece; a distance between an end of the facial base section and an end of the rear base section near the end of the facial base section is different from and a distance between the other end of facial base section and the other end of the rear base section to offer a function of foolproof so as to avoid assembling mistakes; there are two identical flat locating parts oppositely disposed at two long sides of the longitudinal hole; each of the flat locating parts has a slant plane, a first slender retaining projection disposed near the slant plane, a step disposed next to the first thin retaining projection and, and a second slender retaining projection disposed next to the other circular end of the respective longitudinal hole; the slant plane makes the engaging head and the joining part easier to be assembled and is capable of tightly guiding the engaging head and the joining part to the first thin retaining projection which is capable of secure the engaging head and the joining part firmly without loosening, and the step and the second thin retaining projection are capable of engaging the engaging head with the joining part to the locating parts during the engaging head and the joining part being worn out.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Further benefits and advantages of the present invention will become apparent after a careful reading of the detailed description with appropriate reference to the accompanying drawings:

FIG. 1 is a front perspective view of a simple engaging device according to the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a rear perspective view of the locating base of the simple engaging device shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a sectional view of the locating base according to the present invention;

FIG. 4A is a sectional view illustrating the initial contact of the locating stem with the locating base according to the present invention;

FIG. 4B is a sectional view illustrating the locating stem engaging with the locating base according to the present invention;

FIG. 4C is a sectional view illustrating the locating stem engaging with the locating base according to the present invention in case of the engagement shown in FIG. 4B becoming loosening.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Referring to FIGS. 1 to 3, a preferred embodiment of the engaging device in accordance with the present invention basically has an elongated locating base 10 which has a facial base section and a rear base section integrated as a one piece and is embedded in a flat piece of furniture with the facial base section thereof being flush with the flat piece. The facial base section of the locating base 10 is longer than the rear section thereof. The locating base 10 provides two longitudinal holes 11 spacing apart from each other and extending through the rear base section of the locating base 10 from the facial base section thereof; both ends of each of the through holes 11 are circular ends with one of the circular ends being an enlarged circular end 12. There are two identical flat locating parts 13 oppositely disposed at two long sides of each longitudinal hole 11. Each of the flat locating parts 13 has a slant plane 131 next to the enlarged circular end 12, a first slender retaining projection 132 disposed near the slant plane 131 to extend across the respective locating part 13, a step 133 disposed next to the first thin retaining projection 132 and extending to the other circular end of the respective longitudinal hole 11, and a second slender retaining projection 134 disposed next to the other circular end of the respective longitudinal hole 11 and extending across the respective locating part 13 to the step 133. Both ends of the facial base section of the locating base 10 have a fixing hole 14 respectively for the locating base 10 being retained at the flat piece with a screw engaging to the fixing hole 14. It is noted that a distance between an end of the facial base section and an end of the rear base section near the end of the facial base section is designated as “a”, and a distance between the other end of facial base section and the other end of the rear base section is designated as “b” respectively in FIG. 3, and the distances “a” and “b” are different from each other to offer a function of foolproof so as to avoid the locating base 10 being assembled to the flat piece mistakenly.
A pair of locating stems 17, which correspond to the longitudinal holes 11, are joined to a lateral side of another flat piece of the furniture with an engaging head 18 and a joining part 19 extending outward the respective locating stem 17. The joining part 19 is disposed next to the engaging head 18 and has a reduced diameter.
Please referring to FIGS. 4A and 4B in company with FIG. 1 again, when the engaging head 18 with the joining part 19 is inserted into the corresponding longitudinal hole 11 via the enlarged circular end 12 as shown in FIG. 4A, the joining part 19 contacts with the locating parts 13 and the slant plane 131; the slant plane 131 makes and the joining part 19 with the engaging head 18 easy to be assembled and is capable of tightly guiding the joining part 19 to a secured position; when the respective locating stem 17 is moved toward the middle of the respective longitudinal hole 11, the engaging head 18 and the joining part 19 can reach to contact and be retained by the first thin retaining projection 132; under the circumferences, the locating stem 17 can be secured firmly without loosening.
Referring to FIG. 4C in company with FIGS. 1 and 4B again, in case of engaging head 18 and the joining part 19 shown in FIG. 4B being worn out and becoming loosening to engage with the locating parts 13 after a period of using, the locating stem 17 can be moved further to the other circular end of the respective longitudinal hole 11 to allow the joining part 19 being disposed to contact both the step 133 and the second thin retaining projection 134 as shown in FIG. 4C; under the circumferences, the engaging head 18 and the joining part 19 are capable of engaging with the locating parts 13 even if the position shown in FIG. 4B is unable to carry out the engagement.
Although the invention has been explained in relation to its preferred embodiment, it is to be understood that many other possible modifications and variations can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as hereinafter claimed.

Claims

What is claimed is:

1. A simple engaging device in furniture with two flat pieces comprising:

a locating base being embedded in one of the two flat pieces, and further comprising a facial base section and a rear base section which are integrated as one piece, at least a longitudinal hole with two circular ends, and one of the circular ends being an enlarged circular end;

at least a locating stem being embedded to another one of the two flat pieces corresponding to the locating base, and having an engaging head and a joining part with a reduced diameter extending outward to be inserted into the longitudinal hole via the enlarged circular end;

wherein the facial base section has two ends and the rear base section has two ends as well, the facial base section is longer than the rear base section, and a distance between one of the two ends of the facial base section and one of the two ends of the rear base section near the end of the facial base section being different from and a distance between the other end of facial base section and the other end of the rear base section to offer a function of foolproof so as to avoid assembling mistakes; there are two identical flat locating parts oppositely disposed at two long sides of each longitudinal hole; each of the flat locating parts has a slant plane next to the enlarged circular end, a first slender retaining projection disposed near the slant plane to extend across the respective locating part, a step disposed next to the first thin retaining projection and extending to the other circular end of the respective longitudinal hole, and a second slender retaining projection disposed near the other circular end of the respective longitudinal hole extending across the respective locating part to the step; the slant plane makes the engaging head and the joining part easy to be assembled and is capable of tightly guiding the engaging head and the joining part to reach the first retaining projection which is capable of securing the engaging head and the joining part firmly without loosening, and the step and the second thin retaining projection are capable of engaging the engaging head and the joining part to the locating parts in case of the engaging head and the joining part being worn out.

2. The simple engaging device as defined as claim 1, wherein the locating base has two longitudinal holes disposed spacing apart from each other, and there are two locating stems provided corresponding to the two longitudinal holes respectively.